Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
“Don’t be silly, love.” His eyes landed on my feet and he grinned. “Pikachu’s my favorite.”
Well, duh.
He was everyone’s favorite.
“Please, come in.” I held the door open, and as Manda and Vander stepped inside, I was suddenly standing face-to-face with a man who looked so much like my non-husband that I had to stop myself from reaching up and touching his beautiful face.
Although his face shape was slightly different—angular and much more severe-looking—his neatly styled dark hair, his strong chin, his full bottom lip, the way his eyes hooded unintentionally, they were all Twitch. But he wasn’t Twitch. And from the way he was looking at me with those forest green eyes, unsure and mildly irritated, I could tell he didn’t want to be here.
Suddenly shy, I swallowed hard and slowly put my hand out to him. “Hello. I’m Lexi.”
The man peered down at my hand uninterestedly before the older man slapped him across the back of the head, and muttered coarsely, “When a woman puts her hand out, you take it, Giuseppe.” The mature man’s eyes smiled at me mischievously before he shook his head, and murmured, “Kids, huh?”
Kids?
Giuseppe was in his forties.
I couldn’t help the tinkling laughter that escaped me.
Giuseppe rolled his eyes, gently taking my outstretched hand, pumping it once, then huffing out a clearly annoyed, “I’m Zep.”
Cool.
This guy looked like he was the life of the party.
If the party was held at four a.m. in a dank cemetery, that is.
The older man all but pushed Zep out of the way to stand in front of me, and something strange happened. As we held each other’s eyes, an untold understanding passed between us. He wanted to be here, wanted in on whatever it was we had going here, and I felt that in my bones.
This man was a good man. No doubt about it.
Without a single word spoken, I stepped forward and he opened his arm to me, folding them around me in a fatherly gesture that made my heart twinge.
Antonio Falco Sr. held me a long time before he pulled back to gaze down at me with shining eyes. Lifting a hand, he cupped my cheek and smiled warmly. “Beautiful girl.”
My throat catching, I whispered thickly, “Papa Tony.”
Unable to speak, he patted my cheek, and I leaned into his rough touch before stepping back and letting them both through. Once inside, I was surprised to see Manda looking into the backyard through the window, and when I went to stand next to her, I could see why she was smiling.
Vander and Twitch were out back talking close, smiling, and when Vander gripped the back of Twitch’s neck, pulling him in to kiss his cheek in a brotherly gesture, Twitch let him. As Vander pulled back, Twitch tapped the back of his knuckles to the bulge at Vander’s fly, causing him to jump and Twitch to laugh as they burst into rapid-fire chatter.
It was so strange. They knew each other well enough to play around as they were, yet I didn’t know any of these people. He hadn’t mentioned them to me at all.
I wondered why.
Manda and I laughed quietly at the men’s antics before she turned to me and looked hopeful. “You got any of that top-shelf Australian wine in the fridge?”
Pffft. Did I ever.
As I reached into the fridge to pull out a bottle, I paused before peering at the two men watching me closely. Instinct had me reaching for a second bottle then asking, “What time is it?”
Manda checked her phone. “It’s just past midday.”
“Nice,” I drawled as I gathered a third bottle into my arms. Jerking my chin toward the cabinet, I said, “Grab some glasses, will ya?”
Manda was already on it, holding the stems of six wine glasses between her fingers. “On the porch?”
I grinned at her. “You know it.”
As I pushed open the sliding door with my foot, I stepped outside and set the bottles of wine on the beautiful outdoor setting. The moment the men followed Manda and me out, I couldn’t help but notice the conversation between Twitch and Vander stopped as Twitch’s soft brown eyes darkened a notch. He lost his smile, and I hated that.
I filled glasses and handed them out, but when Vander declined, he brogue was thick. “I brought a bottle of Scotch with me, but I didn’t think we’d be startin’ this early.”
At that, Twitch muttered a cool, “Grab it. Fuck knows I could use a drink.”
Vander’s lips pursed, and when he disappeared, the conversation lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. The second he returned with the bottle, Twitch tapped his tumbler. Vander poured a couple of fingers. Twitch tapped the glass again. Vander poured a little more. But Twitch shot his brother-in-law a look that said, “You better fill that fucker up,” so Vander did. And I watched as Twitch downed half the glass in one fell swoop.